Seven Card Stud Poker – All you need to know about the game

While evaluating different options of poker, Seven Card Stud comes in the prime spot. Other than the popular poker games such as Texas Holdem, Omaha, Rummy, etc., one of the oldest and the most classic poker variants is Seven Card Stud.

If you are considering playing the unique and fun poker game variants called Seven Card Stud and are intrigued to know more about it, then here we present all the details related to the Seven Card Stud. Download the 7 card stud poker app while we help you know how to play Seven Card Stud, the rules of the game, its variants, and more.

What is Seven Card Stud?

Seven Card Stud poker is a popular game variant in which the players are given seven cards while they try to make their best five-card hand. Though they get seven cards throughout the game, they need to present only the best five-card poker hand to become a winner.

While Texas Hold’em and Omaha are played as limit (PLO) and no-limit games, Seven Card Stud is mostly played only in the Limit betting structure format. As per this poker game format, the bet size and increments are fixed. So, let’s say you are playing a 2/4 limit game, 2 are for the first two betting rounds and 4 are for the next three betting rounds.

Objective

The players aim to win the pot while playing the game. Like other poker versions, in this game also, the hand having the best combination of five cards becomes the winner of the game.

How to play the game?

• The players in the game get two cards to face down and one card to face up. These cards are dealt one at a time.
• After the first deal as mentioned above, next is the betting interval.
• The active players in the game get three more face-up cards along with a face-down card.
• There is a betting interval after each round of dealing the cards.
• Then arrives the showdown, in which the remaining players need to show five of their seven cards as their best hand. The remaining two cards are discarded.
• The player cannot ask for the discarded cards again.

Rules for Seven-Card Stud

There are many rules you need to know to play 7 Card Stud. Let us begin discussing them one by one.

• Poker hand rankings

These are the Poker hand rankings followed in the game:

Five of a Kind

This is the card combination in which at least one card is wild or Joker.

Straight Flush

This is another highest hand in which the standard pack is considered without needing the wild cards. This straight flush ranking means five cards of the same suit in sequence.

Four of a Kind

Four of a Kind is the hand that has four same-value cards and one other card.

Full House

Full House hand is made up of three cards of one rank and two cards of different ranks.

Flush

In this poker hand, all five cards are of the same suit, not in sequence.

Straight

This one contains five cards in sequence but not in the same suit.

Three of a Kind

On this hand, three cards are of the same rank and the other two cards are also of the same rank.

Two Pairs

On this hand, there are two pairs, where one pair is of one rank and another pair is of a different rank.

One Pair

This hand combination has one pair and three more cards of different ranks.

No Pair

This combination means the highest 7 card stud hand it contains.

Ante

Before the start of the game, the players need to pay ‘ante’. It is a nominal amount that the players need to put in the pot.

Game rounds

The game is divided into different betting rounds mentioned here:

Third Street

In this round, the players are dealt with three cards along with two hidden hole cards and one more face-up card. The player who has the lowest exposed card is called ‘bring-in’. This player starts the game. This player makes a nominal bet or bring-in as per the pre-decided amount, or can also make a full bet with a low betting increment.

The game continues clockwise until this betting round is over.

Fourth Street

In this poker game round, the players get another exposed card which is – the ‘Fourth Street’ card. The player who has exposed cards of the highest poker value acts first. This player can check or bet the lower structured amount of the bet.

Fifth Street

Coming to the fifth street, in this round, the players get an exposed card – ‘Fifth Street’. Again, like previously, the player who has an exposed card of the highest poker value needs to act first in the round. In Fifth Street and further rounds, all bets need to be according to the big bet increments.

Sixth Street

In this round of the gameplay, the players are dealt with the exposed card – the ‘Sixth Street’ card. The player with the highest value of exposed cards needs to take the first action in this round.

Seventh Street

This is the final round which is also called the River round. In this, the player gets the final or the seventh card. This card is dealt face-down and hence, only that player knows what this card is. The player whose exposed cards have the highest poker value acts first.

The Showdown

The remaining players in the 7 card stud online game after the final betting round is over, play a showdown. The player who has been the last bettor or raiser needs to reveal the card combination first. In case of no bet on the final round, the player seated earliest reveals the cards first. Other players playing the Showdown need to show their cards in a clockwise direction around the table.

Winner

The player who has made the best five-card poker hand is the winner of the pot. In case two players make the same poker hand, then the pot is split between the players.

Player Betting Actions

Like in other poker variants, Seven Card Stud follows the poker actions rule. The players can ‘fold’, ‘check’, ‘bet’, ‘call’ or ‘raise’. These options are chosen as per the action initiated by the previous player in the game.

• If no player makes a bet in the game, then the player has the option to check or decline to bet. This player would still keep the cards. When a player has bet already, then other players have the option to fold, call, or raise.
• To call means betting exactly the same amount as the previous player has bet.
• To raise means not just matching the previous bet but increasing the amount too.

Other 7-Card Stud Rules

Here are more rules you need to know for playing the game of Seven Cards Stud like a pro.

• To find the bring-in in this game, ties in the card rank can be broken by a suit.
• The suits are ranked in the following order – the club is the lowest, then comes the diamonds, followed by the hearts, and finally the spades which is the highest of all.
• The lowest suit can break the tie. So, to cite an example, between the deuce of hearts and the deuce of clubs, the deuce of clubs will bring in. This ranking of equal hands may not work for the Showdown.
• If the player who has the lowest card in Third Street decides to go for all-in for the ante and cannot make a bring-in bet, then the bring-in goes to the next player clockwise, irrespective of the exposed card value.
• While playing the Fourth Street betting round, if a player shows a pair, the betting can be opened or raised for a big bet and this bigger amount will continue for the next betting.
• If the Stud game is played with eight players using a deck of 52 cards, and the cards run out before Seventh Street, a single ‘community card’ can be dealt face-up on the table which is shared by the remaining players in the game.

Seven Card Stud Variants

There are many 7-card stud variations such as:

Down the river

One of the most basic 7 card stud poker games, it is almost synonymous with 7 card stud.

Mississippi

This variant does not have a betting round between fourth and fifth street. So, there are only four betting rounds.

High Low Stud

This is another popular poker game in which the pot is split into the highest hand and the lowest hand.

Roll Your Own

In this variant, there are four rounds of two dealt-down cards. The player needs to roll one card to face up.

Queens and After

The Queens are treated wild in this game. The card which is dealt face-up following the Queen is also wild.

Razz

In this lowball form of seven card stud, the player aims to get the lowest possible hand.

Wrapping Up:

7 card stud poker games are very interesting to play. The best part about Seven Card Stud is that it has simple rules, which you can easily and quickly learn to play several poker tournaments. However, it may take some time to master the game, like many other poker games. Learn 7 card stud strategy and ace the game.